Chapter 173: Chapter 172: Secrets of Mechanism_1
At this moment, within the Bagua Array, several figures were already engaged in battle with the puppet guards.
Among these figures, a man dressed in blood-stained clothes stood out. His gaze was like that of a predatory jackal, and a palpable killing intent emanated from him. This man was none other than Wang Yan, ranked 19th on the Heavenly List, also known as the "Extinguishing Life Saber."
Standing just outside the Bagua Array was a familiar figure: Wang Shuang, the very man whose manhood Ling Chen had severed.
"It’s you!"
When Wang Shuang saw Ling Chen barge into the Mechanism Hall, his eyes narrowed, and a cold, hostile expression surfaced on his face.
He had been searching for Ling Chen for a long time. To think he would find him so easily after all that searching—Ling Chen had actually appeared right in front of him.
"We meet again. It seems you’re quite alright now," Ling Chen commented nonchalantly. He didn’t feel he had wronged Wang Shuang in any way. From Ling Chen’s perspective, sparing Wang Shuang’s life was an act of great mercy; all he had done was sever the man’s manhood.
Wang Shuang should be thanking him for sparing his life, not holding grudges against him. Ling Chen didn’t believe he owed him anything.
"You shameless filth, you dare to say that!"
Wang Shuang’s face turned gloomy with uncontainable rage. This beast had turned him into a eunuch and now acted as if nothing had happened.
"Wang Shuang, you are ungrateful! If Ling Chen hadn’t taken pity on you, you’d be dead by now," Xiao Muyu rebuked sternly.
"Oh, really? So, I should extend my gratitude to both of you?"
Infuriated to the point of laughter, Wang Shuang glared hatefully at Ling Chen. "My big brother Wang Yan is here today. Beast, you’re as good as dead!"
"Wang Yan? Your big brother?"
Surprised, Ling Chen glanced over at the blood-clad young man fighting the puppet guards inside the Bagua Array.
So, these two were brothers?
"Wang Shuang, it looks like your big brother is too busy to deal with you right now. Stop your nonsense! Believe it or not, if you say another word, we might just kill you here and now," Xiao Muyu threatened, her eyes turning icy.
"You dare?"
Wang Shuang’s countenance changed abruptly. He gripped his weapon tighter. If these two really intended to kill him, he knew he was no match for them.
At that moment, Wang Yan was trapped in the Bagua Array and couldn’t get out to help.
"Why don’t you see if we dare?"
Xiao Muyu drew her Juechen Sword, ready to engage.
"Hold on a moment."
Ling Chen gestured for Xiao Muyu to stop. His attention was on the center of the Bagua Array. "This Bagua Array is extraordinary. The secret of this Mechanism Hall must be in that box. We don’t have time to waste on him."
He had a hunch that the box held something extremely important.
With this thought, Ling Chen moved and entered the Bagua Array.
The next moment, he felt his body become weightless, as if he were drifting through clouds and mist, transported to another world. When his vision cleared, he found himself in a stark white environment, enveloped in blinding brightness.
So, this is the Illusory Realm of the Array.
Ling Chen knew he was now within the Bagua Array; this scene before him was the black and white world within the Bagua Array.
Black represents Yin, and white represents Yang.
Therefore, he should be in the Yang aspect of the Bagua’s Yin-Yang.
No wonder even ’Extinguishing Life Saber’ Wang Yan is trapped here. This Bagua Array is truly profound.
From the outside, Ling Chen hadn’t been able to discern anything unusual. Only after entering did this illusion manifest.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
The ground suddenly shook. Ling Chen looked up and saw a puppet guard rushing towards him.
This puppet guard was vastly different from those outside; it was more than twice their size, a towering stone giant that resembled a small mountain.
Facing the rampaging stone giant puppet, Ling Chen leaped up. His Cloud-hidden Sword, quick as lightning, stabbed at the puppet’s chest.
The sword qi was incredibly sharp. However, the moment it struck the puppet’s chest, the tip of the Cloud-hidden Sword actually bent, failing to penetrate even a fraction into the puppet’s body.
The Cloud-hidden Sword, capable of cutting iron as if it were mud, couldn’t damage this stone giant puppet at all.
The sword tip bent to its limit, then suddenly sprang back. Ling Chen was thrown backward; the sharp sword light had only left a white mark on the stone giant puppet’s body.
Its defense is too strong.
Ling Chen frowned. His attack was ineffective.
Moreover, a considerable part of his attack’s force had rebounded, sending a shock through his body and numbing his arm.
After repelling Ling Chen, the stone giant puppet seized the opportunity to close in. Its two arms suddenly detached from its body, connected by chains, and flew towards Ling Chen.
His expression changing slightly, Ling Chen swiftly leaped from the ground. As he descended, he stepped on one of the stone giant puppet’s arms and slashed at the chain with his sword.
CRACK! The chain snapped instantly. This chain was clearly not as sturdy as other parts of the stone giant puppet’s body, and Ling Chen had seized upon this weakness.
Ling Chen repeated the maneuver, severing the stone giant puppet’s other chain as well.
Having done this, Ling Chen’s gaze fell on the stone giant puppet’s throat. The material there was clearly different from the rest. Compared to the puppet’s otherwise indestructible hide, its throat seemed to be forged from a somewhat softer material.
Identifying the weak point, Ling Chen thrust his sword straight forward, as quick as a flash.
WHOOSH!
However, just as the tip of the sword was about to pierce the puppet’s throat, the puppet’s previously empty arm socket suddenly exerted a magnetic pull, drawing the severed hand back and reattaching it.
The next moment, Ling Chen’s Cloud-hidden Sword was caught by the stone giant puppet, held fast in mid-air, unable to advance an inch.
The stone giant puppet possessed immense strength, far beyond Ling Chen’s. A flash of inspiration struck him. He reached out with his left hand, drew the Heavenly Emperor Heavy Sword from his back, and with lightning speed, plunged it into the stone giant puppet’s throat.
A sharp crack sounded as the stone giant’s throat was torn open, and the Heavenly Emperor Heavy Sword pierced through, exiting from the nape of its neck.
WHIZ!
Ling Chen suddenly exerted force, tilting the Heavenly Emperor Heavy Sword to one side. The stone giant puppet’s head flew high into the air.
With its head severed, a chaotic cacophony of clattering sounds erupted as the stone giant puppet’s body rapidly fell apart, collapsing into a pile of scrap metal.
Simultaneously, the endless white light before Ling Chen parted to either side, revealing a passage.
Pausing for only a moment, Ling Chen stepped into the passage. His vision soon cleared, and the ancient Mechanism Hall reappeared before him.
Not far ahead was a stone platform, upon which sat a treasure chest.
His eyes lighting up, Ling Chen walked to the stone platform and reached out to open the chest. Strangely, the chest had no visible opening and seemed to be welded to the stone platform, impossible to lift.
There must be an external mechanism.
Ling Chen squatted down and carefully searched around the stone platform. Soon, he discovered an extremely well-hidden button.
He twisted the button. Suddenly, a seam appeared on the top of the chest, revealing an ancient secret manual inside.
On the cover of the secret manual were four ancient characters: "Secret of Mechanisms."
"Secret of Mechanisms"... Could it be the manual detailing the Tienzong Mechanism Technique?
Ling Chen’s breathing grew heavy. The Tienzong Mechanism Technique was incredibly powerful. It could even create puppet mechanisms capable of rivaling Top Sky Apex Strong experts. If this "Secret of Mechanisms" contained such methods, then this secret manual was undoubtedly a treasure capable of shaking the entire Martial World.